Chasing the rainbow's end, and why it matters: a coda to Pocock, Frosh and Larner

Abstract

Appendix 1The writer, entering, scans the library tables for unclaimed territory. A sunny corner attracts him. He makes it his own, coat over an adjoining chair, notepad and reference articles piled boundarywise, centre table. First a glance round, then he uncaps the pen, stares into the lined page, and . . .A n d . . .Before, the task has seemed simple. Three thoughtful authors. Three erudite papers on postmodernism. 'Compare and contrast.' He has written a story in this genre a hundred times before. The rules, at least, are simple: 0 tell your story in the style favoured by the learned journal for which you are writing 0 show, subtly (no bragging), that you have read more on the subject at hand than the authors on whom you comment 0 bring in to your story eavesdroppings from other tongues (Latin is pass;, particle physics is good, French philosophy best) 0 startle and amaze the reader with your retelling of stubborn or elusive ideas of the other authors 0 lead the account towards a simple and memorable ending which proclaims (again, subtlety is all) the writer's authority as a teller of such stories.And . . .The writer knows these rules, and knows he can follow them. But this morning he seems remote from their spell. Time was when they were the invisible tracks which guided the pen from left to right, from top to bottom, from start to finish. Time was when he could have spun * Psychiatrist, North Shields Community Mental Health Team, 26a Hawkeys

Social poetics as research and practice: living in and learning from the process of research

“…Such an approach was more ambitious than it first appeared. Birch (1995) questions whether it is possible for healthcare professionals to distance themselves and stand outside of the traditional ‘schizophrenic text’. DA, as a nurse with 16 years of involvement with psychiatry, has participated within ‘the bureaucratic or actual violence of diagnosis or treatment’ (225–6).…”

Paradigms lost, paradigms regained: defending nursing against a single reading of postmodernism

“…Rolfe (2000) notes that this position involves a confusion of deconstruction and destruction. Birch (1995) acknowledges the tendency to confuse deconstruction and destructive criticism. He notes, in analysing the power relationship between therapist and client, that:…”

“…For example, elsewhere we have narrated our experiences of ethical and research awarding committees’ lack of an understanding of qualitative research proposals because they do not value the kind of knowledge that would be generated (Stevenson & Beech, 1998). When one position becomes dominant, interesting questions arise in relation to epistemological hegemony (Birch, 1995). Do traditional ideas about truth become a normative imperative for all researchers?…”

Playing the power game for qualitative researchers: the possibility of a post‐modern approach

“…They may follow the grammar implicit within professional training which entails the injunction, ‘Don’t get involved in discussing delusions and hallucinations for fear of reinforcing them’. Alternatively, they may ask questions along the lines of ‘What is the most difficult thing about being controlled by extra‐terrestrial rather than terrestrial forces?’ By doing so, there is an opportunity to develop some shared use of the meaning of being controlled, rather than entering into a ‘reality disagreement’ ( Birch 1995, personal communication) about the feasibility of extra‐terrestrial life and its power over ‘earthlings’. An opportunity arises to co‐create a new story or narrative about control, which allows new, previously unarticulated, possibilities for action ( Anderson & Goolishian 1992).…”

“…There is no existing shared grammar which can be brought into play. In these circumstances, each camp is likely to engage in ‘good guy/bad guy’ discourse ( Birch 1995). Seikkula (1995) describes this kind of discourse as monologue and a restricted form of dialogue.…”